Tougher Mitsubishi Triton with factory GVM upgrade: Ford Ranger Super Duty and Toyota Hilux challenger under study

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Following on from performance dual-cab utes, the new trend is heavy-duty, 3500kg or more gross vehicle mass (GVM) variants.

Ford has one with the Ranger Super Duty, Toyota now offers a factory option to bump GVM on the Hilux and Mitsubishi Australia GM product strategy and product PR Bruce Hampel told Chasing Cars such a program is on the radar.

“It’s something we’re under discussion with [Mitsubishi global] about, the ability to offer suspension upgrades as either a Mitsubishi genuine or licensed accessory, similar to what the competitors are doing at the moment.

“We haven’t got a formal agreement at this point, but it’s under study,” Hampel admitted to Chasing Cars.

Many 4WD buyers in Australia intend to load their vehicles up and go adventuring. For these buyers, the circa 1000kg payloads of dual-cab utes like the Triton are quickly eaten up by camping supplies, water, roo bars, other upgrades and occupants.

Add the downball weight of a 3.5-tonne caravan and a vehicle can quickly become illegally overloaded in standard form.

This is one of the reasons Ford spent five years engineering the Ranger Super Duty with its 4500kg GVM and 4.5-tonne towing certification.

In May, Toyota jumped in with a genuine, factory-fit GVM upgrade for its Hilux ute that raises its GVM to 3500kg — between 372–435kg.

The Hilux is a key rival for the Mitsubishi Triton and its $4000 factory-backed muscle up includes new springs and dampers, 10mm increase in ride height and greater maximum axle loads.

For Mitsubishi, the chance to offer an in-house GVM upgrade would keep customers happier, and make a little extra money for the Japanese car maker.

“If we can’t offer it to [customers] from the dealership, they will then go to the aftermarket and get the aftermarket to sort it out, but that is an inconvenience to them because they then take on all the risks and the voiding of warranties, these types of things.

“So it’s more attractive if we can offer it to them at point of sale,” said Hampel.

“There’s a genuine customer need to have higher GVMs on vehicles, right? If you’re towing 3.5-tonne trailers you really should do this for the safety of your vehicle.

“That’s where our focus is. It’s giving the customer what they want and need, and we’ll do regardless of whether we offer it to them from the factory.

“But in essence, we’re letting money go out the door if they walk down to ARB or Ironman or someone else and pay them to do that modification,” he added.

Mitsubishi spoke to Chasing Cars at the launch of the Triton Raider ($74,990 driveaway), the most hardcore factory-backed ute from Mitsubishi yet. The project was completed with the help of Australian second stage manufacturer Premcar.

The use of a local specialist to develop what is an Australia-only product (for now) suggests Mitsubishi is open to boosting Triton’s appeal in other ways.

Along with recreational four-wheel drivers, the other buyers interested in increased GVM utes are fleets — mines and other large commercial operations see value in the added safety without losing the security of a factory warranty.